The present invention relates to a new and improved dough product known as an English muffin, the method of producing same, and apparatus employed in such production. Such a product is of a European origin but in recent years the production and consumption of English muffins in the United States has been growing at a remarkable rate. This rate of growth has been so great that today the English muffin has ceased to be a specialty item and is now considered to be a staple food product.
A traditional English muffin basically was made from a dough composed of flour, water, yeast and salt, with the water being about 75 to 80 parts by weight to 100 parts of the flour. The dough was allowed to ferment for several hours after which time it was ready for use and the dough was thereafter cut to a size having a weight of approximately 11/2 to 2 oz. The pieces of dough would then be dropped into iron rings, placed on a canvas covered support, dusted with corn meal, and each piece or ball of dough would then be permitted to rise to a level approximating the top of the ring retainer. The top of each dough piece might also be sprinkled with corn meal and the piece then permitted to stand until properly proofed.
The dough pieces after being properly proofed were transferred by means of a metal spatula to a grill heated to a temperature in the range of 350.degree.-450.degree. F. and then grilled for about five minutes on the bottom or canvas side. Each piece so grilled would thereafter be turned over and grilled for another five minutes on the other side.
The resulting English muffin is characterized as a rather heavy bun, flat on one or the bottom side and slightly convex on the other or top side, and is about 31/2-4 inches in diameter, about an inch thick, and has a weight of 11/2 to 2 ounces. The top and bottom surfaces of the English muffin clearly reflect the grilling procedures employed since each surface is generally somewhat different in color and the area therebetween is white. The body of the English muffin is characterized by having a plurality of medium to large holes throughout forming, when split, opposed surfaces having a plurality of peaks and valleys thereon.
The procedure just described for producing English muffins originally was carried out by hand. Such a procedure did not require extensive equipment nor was the production large. A typical rate of production was on the order of six to twelve dozen per hour and was generally limited to the grill size that could be handled by the baker. However, with the increasing popularity of English muffins, production by hand was found insufficient to satisfy the ever increasing needs of the consumer. As a result thereof, activity was initiated towards a mechanization of the procedure for making English muffins such that the rate of production could be materially increased as well as providing a more economical procedure and product.
A mechanized procedure resulting from the need of increased and more economical production is one in which the dough mass is divided and rounded into balls and dropped into canvas pockets in a continuously traveling proofer which have been dusted with corn meal. After proofing at 115.degree.-120.degree. F. at 87-89% RH for thirty minutes, the raised muffin dough pieces are turned into cups which have been heated to 275.degree. F. The dough pieces stay at 275.degree. F. for one and a half minutes and then the traveling grill goes to a temperature of 390.degree. F. for a period of four and a half minutes. This operation grills the bottom side of the English muffin. The half fried muffins are then each turned over and laid on a lower reverse hearth without cups and grilled at 390.degree. F. for three minutes. The English muffins are then removed, cooled, and packaged. The muffins may be partially split before packaging, if desired. Such an operation may produce up to about a thousand dozens per hour. A description of such a process is given in considerable detail in "Proceedings of the 47th Annular Meeting of the American Society of Baking Engineers" (ASBE) (1971), pages 128-135.
While this mechanized operation has been found satisfactory for giving a materially increased production of English muffins, the system possesses certain inherent disadvantages. A basic one is that the initial monetary outlay for such a system is in excess of a quarter of a million dollars. Moreover, the apparatus can be used only for producing English muffins and is therefore incapable of being otherwise incorporated into a standard baking operation. Thus, the baking of English muffins has been limited only to those very large national or regional bakeries who, by only their size, can afford the initial capital outlay for such expensive equipment needed to produce English muffins on a large production basis.
Still another disadvantage of such a mechanized operation is that the finished product will oftentimes be of irregular size and dimension. Thus, a uniformly circular configuration and uniform thickness with respect to the finished product is not generally attainable. This is due primarily to the feeding of the dough balls from the proof unit to the pockets and also as a result of the turning operation of the muffins from the cooked side to the uncooked side.